Cleaning Router's Port Contacts?

[(PeteCresswell)]

WRT54G.

It has been living in a salt water bay front shop for some years.

Owner thinks it's inop.

I can get to the Admin screen and save changes. I can also
connect to it via WiFi as long as port 4 is plugged into one of
my LAN's switches.

Seems to me like port 4 works, but ports 1-3 and "Internet" do
not.

The contacts look nasty: more black than gold.

Is there a non-destructive technique for cleaning these things?

I'm thinking the obvious pencil eraser would abrade off the gold
or whatever the contacts are covered with and make any fix only
temporary at best.
--
PeteCresswell

[Brian Cryer]

"(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote in message
news:8h7d26h8ppg0r8mdjh906q1sppojcd89ck@4ax.com...
> WRT54G.
>
> It has been living in a salt water bay front shop for some years.
>
> Owner thinks it's inop.
>
> I can get to the Admin screen and save changes. I can also
> connect to it via WiFi as long as port 4 is plugged into one of
> my LAN's switches.
>
> Seems to me like port 4 works, but ports 1-3 and "Internet" do
> not.
>
> The contacts look nasty: more black than gold.
>
> Is there a non-destructive technique for cleaning these things?
>
> I'm thinking the obvious pencil eraser would abrade off the gold
> or whatever the contacts are covered with and make any fix only
> temporary at best.

Can't say I've ever tried, but I take it that rubbing with a cloth doesn't
help? If the contacts on the router are bad does this mean that the contacts
on the ethernet cables are also bad? Wireless routers are much cheaper these
days than they used to be, so it might be quicker to replace it than try a
repair - in which case you could risk using something abraisive - although
personally I wouldn't go more abraisive than a non-stick scourer.
--
Brian Cryer
http://www.cryer.co.uk/brian

[Ken1943]

As a telephone tech, I have cleaned handset and other such contacts with
a flat blade screwdriver. But, when the contacts got water damage,
replacement was the only way.

>WRT54G.
>
>It has been living in a salt water bay front shop for some years.
>
>Owner thinks it's inop.
>
>I can get to the Admin screen and save changes. I can also
>connect to it via WiFi as long as port 4 is plugged into one of
>my LAN's switches.
>
>Seems to me like port 4 works, but ports 1-3 and "Internet" do
>not.
>
>The contacts look nasty: more black than gold.
>
>Is there a non-destructive technique for cleaning these things?
>
>I'm thinking the obvious pencil eraser would abrade off the gold
>or whatever the contacts are covered with and make any fix only
>temporary at best.


KenW

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Brian Cryer:
>Can't say I've ever tried, but I take it that rubbing with a cloth doesn't
>help? If the contacts on the router are bad does this mean that the contacts
>on the ethernet cables are also bad? Wireless routers are much cheaper these
>days than they used to be, so it might be quicker to replace it than try a
>repair - in which case you could risk using something abraisive - although
>personally I wouldn't go more abraisive than a non-stick scourer.

I'm assuming the male Ethernet cable plugs are bad too - although
I have not seen them. I'll just bring a couple more down with me
when I re-install the device.

Went to Radio Shack, layed out $15.00 for some magic goop that
claims to reverse the corrosion process and it seems to have
worked. *Muy* expensivo compared to just plain old CRC or
whatever the other stuff is though.

Still cheaper than $40-$50 for a replacement router - although
barely if one figures man-hours are worth something.
--
PeteCresswell